The Final Rose
by dimitrisgirl18
Summary: Rose is a Moroi, the last of the Hathaways, and Wielder of the Sky. Lissa is her best friend and guardian. But every life story has a twist, and this one comes with a soulmate. Is it Dimitri, the guardian, or Adrian, her spirit teacher? *on hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

RPOV (Rose)  
I looked around as I got off the Academy's private jet. St. Vladimir's was Victorian and old from the outside, but I knew that on the inside, it would be just as modern as your typical high school, maybe even more. But none of it mattered if the wards didn't hold.  
The 4 guardians who had ridden on the plane with me ushered me into the building. As we walked through the mess hall, many eyes, if not all, stared at me. I hadn't even graduated and had guardians. Then it registered in many eyes: I was Rosemarie Hathaway, the last of the Hathaways, the royal family next in line for the crown.

My brother, Evan was supposed to be the King, but he, my mother Janine, and my father Ibrahim were killed in a car crash. Only my best friend Lissa and I survived. She wasn't supposed to live, it was a miracle that she did. Now, she can read my feelings, through a bond that was created after the accident. She was walking alongside me now, just as alert as the other guardians.

The old school we were at, St. Peliphilia wasn't safe. My guardian there had an alliance with Strigoi and we were attacked during a trip outside of the school. Only Lissa and another trained guardian saved me and the Hathaway line.

Lissa was reading the bond now, and she could sense I was scared. She squeezed my hand as we walked into an office. A woman who I assumed was the headmistress was standing behind the desk, having a quiet conversation with two of the guardians in the room. One was a woman who looked to be in her lower 30s, and another was an older man.

One of the guardians accompanying us cleared his throat, and the principal turned around. "Oh! You must be Rosemarie Hathaway."

Lissa cut in with a glare. "Her name is Rose."

The principal cut back with an equal glare. "You will not talk back to me. Understand?"

Yeah." I tried to send Lissa calming thoughts through the bond. _Chill out Liss, it's fine._ She nodded.

"Now, my name is Headmistress Kirova. I understand that you have had problems at your old school, and we will do everything here to make sure that will not happen. The wards will be checked more often and you will always be accompanied by 3 or more guardians outside of them."

Great, but I was still scared. When you're the single most hunted Moroi by the Strigoi, it's not that easy to sleep at night. "Thank you, Headmistress. I appreciate your efforts."

"This is your guardian." she said, and motioned to the back of the room. A man stepped out of the shadows, and let me tell you, he was hot. Brown hair, pulled back in a low ponytail, a stubble of a beard, and deep green eyes. I smiled, flirting a little. Lissa looked at him with wary eyes. She looked like she disapproved. I squeezed her hand. It was our signal for chill out, it'll be alright, or, sarcastically, you idiot.

Kirova nodded her head to acknowledge him. "Guardian Dimitri Belikov is assigned to you, Princess. Here are your schedules, Guardian Belikov will follow you and show you around on your way. We are just starting the school day, ladies. Welcome to St. Vladimir."

I smiled, and Lissa grimaced as we took our schedules. Mine read:

_1st•French Culture and Language__  
__2nd•Elemental Basics 2__  
__3rd•Moroi History 4__  
__4th•Animal Behaviors__  
__-Lunch-__  
__5th•Study Hall__  
__6th•Biology 3__  
__7th•Calculus 2__  
__8th•Slavic Art__  
_

Sweet, I had study hall right after lunch. Woah, wait. Slavic Art? Some elective. Maybe they stuck Lissa in it too, because it didn't seem like something a lot of people would sign up for. We traded schedules.

_1st•Guarding Techniques 3__  
__2nd•Practice and Specialized Sessions__  
__3rd•Two-Guard Techniques__  
__4th•Dhampir History 4__  
__-Lunch-__  
__5th•Study Hall__  
__6th•Biology 3__  
__7th•Calculus 1__  
__8th•Slavic Art__  
_

"Stupid Lissa. If you hadn't failed PreCalc, you would be in the same classes as me all afternoon!" I said with a smile. We both knew that she had failed PreCalculus only because the teacher hated her. They'd moved her to Calculus 1 because this school didn't have a PreCalc teacher for seniors here.

She smiled too. Then a funny look crossed her face as she glanced at my schedule again before handing it back. "Why are you in Elemental Basics? That's a sophomore class." She immediately covered her mouth. I hadn't specialized yet, and she knew that. According to my old teachers, I 'kept a very stable control on all four elements.' Yeah right, It was just another way of saying I was a freak who just wouldn't specialize. But they couldn't stop me from graduating for that.

"Come on, Liss, let's go." As we left, Dimitri followed us, pointing out classrooms along the way so that we would recognize them for later. Lissa stepped into the Guarding Techniques classroom, and said goodbye as we continued on to French Culture and Language. I had taken this class at Peliphilia, so it should be a breeze. I kind of tuned the teacher out, doodling in my notebook. One of the boys in the class, an Ivashkov by the looks of him, kept throwing wads of paper at me. The teacher was totally oblivious.  
I couldn't take it anymore. I turned around. "Will you please stop it?" I whisper-shouted. Everyone in the class heard, but the teacher, Mr. Yavago, kept lecturing. He shrugged. I turned back around and it continued. I was so frustrated, I put my head in my hands. All of the sudden, the boy behind me screamed. I looked, and he was on fire.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thanks for reading and sorry for the long update wait. **

**Disclaimer: Lissa: Alright! I get to do this! Dimitrisgirl18 does not own-**

** Dimitri: She's my girl! I get rights to the disclaimer!**

** Lissa: Nuh-uh!**

** Dimitri: Yeah huh!**

** Me: (whispers as D and L break into a violent fight) I don't own Vampire academy though I wish I did. I only own Wade Yarrow and this plot.**

LPOV (Lissa, Liss, or Vasilisa)

I watched Rose round the corner before entering my Guarding Techniques class. I don't know what she sees in that Dimitri dude. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure he's good at what he does, I hear they crank out really good guardians from Russia (his accent gave him away), but he's not _that_ cute. Whatever. Rose can have him.

As I walked into the classroom, I found that I was in a class of only about 15 other senior dhampirs. Wow, guardian numbers really were declining, more than they thought. Only 2 years ago at Peliphilia, my class had about 25 kids in it. That's ten guardians, or, depending on the number of royals, 7 Moroi down one guardian.

Sliding into a random seat, I checked out the other kids. There was a boy with red hair talking to another guy and laughing, he looked like he was having fun. Getting up, I walked over and flipped my hair a little. Sitting down in an empty seat next to him, I tried to pick up on their conversation.

"-totally beat him up. And let's just say that Tristan is no match for Mark either."

"Are we talking about match-ups? Because I could take any one of them." I said with a smile.

The red-haired kid's friend chuckled. "I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Eddie Castile. That's Mason Ashford, and I'm willing to take a bet that if you're that confident, you could beat him."

A kid sitting next to Eddie chimed in. "Hey, I'm Wade Oakwood. And, sorry, but even your good looks can't convince me to bet on you. Ashford is the king."

Now people started betting on me left and right. "20 on the lady!" "10 on Ashford!" "30 on Mase!" "15 on mystery girl!" Boy, these people had no idea what they were talking about.

I laughed. Hard. Talking to Wade, I said "Yeah, sure he can beat me. Hey, you guys ever heard of Vasilisa Dragomir?"

They all nodded in reverence. "That girl's like, a goddess. We hear she's already faced a Strigoi and survived." said Eddie.

"I have, actually, and it's not a pleasant experience." I said nonchalantly, watching the looks on their faces as they registered who I was. Sniggering, I added "Though I'm sure the great Ashford could take one."

The teacher called for attention, and took roll call as the first day of the school year. He called out "Vasilisa Dragomir?" and looked up to find me as I called "I'm not here!" to the amusement of the class. It confirmed though, that I was truly who I said I was.

Class was very, very boring until about halfway through when, suddenly, I heard a really loud shout, followed by screams. One of those screams was Rose's. I bolted out of class, sensing that she was terrified. I could feel a few of my classmates, including Mason and Eddie, running behind me, but I outpaced them all. My fear for Rose took over, and I mentally scolded myself over and over on the short run to her classroom for believing that anywhere was safe. Why did I ever leave her?

I slammed open the door, and saw no Strigoi. Then what was wrong? My friends stopped behind me, and we entered the room, scanning it. Then I saw it, but how could I have missed it? The boy who was right behind Rose was on fire. I ran over to her and pulled her to the perimeter of the room, holding her tight. She was crying, her tear-stained cheeks glimmering. She loved all life, and couldn't stand it when someone was hurt.

Rocking her slowly, I tried to comfort her while everyone else tried to put out the fire. Then, they realized that the fire was not burning him, so it could only be one other thing: magical fire. I softly asked Rose if she knew which kids in the class were fire users. She pointed them out to me. One was the boy who was getting burned, the other was the boy sitting next to him, and the other was an Ozera boy. He was laughing his butt off, so it was pretty obvious who it was. I stalked over to him.

"Do you think this is funny?" I practically yelled at him. He turned his head, surprised that I was talking to him like that. "My best friend is in tears, you've probably scarred that boy for life, everyone is in a complete panic, and you're _freakin laughing?_"

"Jeez, chill out. Just having a little fun and saving a damsel in distress." He motioned to Rose, still in the corner, just barely calming down.

I got in his face, growling my next words. "I will take care of Rose. You can mind your own sorry, lowlife butt." I said, and stalked away.

When I got back to Rose, I asked her about the events prior to the…well, let's go with event. All she told me is that he was throwing paper at her and she got frustrated with him. Slowly, I put the pieces together, and started to watch this Christian Ozera dude. Sure enough, every few seconds, he would glance at Rose, looking worried about her. Christian had a crush on Rose, one that he would use offensive magic for. I mean, they taught it here, but Moroi couldn't use magic in school perimeters.

Someone finally noticed that the other novices and I were there, and made us leave. I hugged Rose one last time before letting them escort us back to our classroom. By the time we got back, we had to switch classes, and our novice class went to the gym. It was time for me to kick some Ashford butt. I had to admit, he was kinda cute, but he was still gonna get creamed. I felt sorry for those poor kids who had bet on him.

Practice was basically a free-for-all between any two people that wanted to fight supervised by one of the school's guardians, with a few off to the side surrounding the room as usual. A few novices fought for fun or to playfully settle quarrels that arose earlier. Then, finally, the much-awaited match started.

Facing Mason on the mat, I smiled. He looked like he would take the first move, so I didn't have to worry. We were fighting with fists, and the loser was the person that got pinned down for 3 seconds. Guardian Petrov, well, I call her Alberta, was about to blow the whistle. I got down into my defensive stance.

"Three…two…one." She blew the whistle, and sure enough, Mason lunged, but I was ready. Stepping lightly to the side, he landed on his stomach where I stood a fraction of a second ago. Before he had time to twist around and get up, I pounced. Taking his arms and twisting them together, I put all my weight on top of him, and the class counted loudly.

"ONE!" they shouted. He twisted, trying to escape my iron grasp. "TWO!" His struggles became more violent, and I realized now why a lot of people had bet on him. "THREE!" The part of the class that had bet on me cheered and whooped and whistled, slapping each other on the back and gloating. Those that had bet on Mason just looked like they couldn't believe he had just lost to a girl. But that girl was Vasilisa Dragomir, and he was no match for me, however Superman-ish that sounds.

I let him up and ran to the other side of the practice mat, anticipating his next move. He had gotten up and punched, once again hitting the air where I had once been. Laughing, I stepped off the mat as Alberta blew the whistle twice, once announcing the end of the match, and one announcing the end of class. I walked out of class with Mason, Eddie and Wade next to me, feeling like I had made quite a few friends already. We were laughing about the stupidest things, and for one moment I forgot about Rose.

I couldn't believe I did that. How irresponsible could I be? Sighing, I checked the bond. She had mostly recovered and class resumed as normal, but I sensed that the Ozera boy had been taken to an in-school suspension classroom. I snorted lightly. Serves him right.

We walked into our next classroom, Two-Guard Techniques. This class would be very important to me, because I would be guarding Rose with another guardian. She was the last of the Hathaways, making her even more covetable to the Strigoi. Who knows, she could even have three, but that was unlikely.

Speaking of Rose, we had a big shock when we got to class. Kirova was there, along with quite a few guardians. "Hello, novices." She said. "Today, we are beginning the field unit. It was meant to come as a surprise to you, so you would have no time to prepare. We are now going down to the assembly hall to get your assignments. Follow me."

The class followed her down to the assembly, where a several other classes of

Dhampirs and Moroi sat waiting. Apparently, we were the last class, because Kirova went up to the podium and started announcing the dhampir-moroi pairs. After about 10 or 15, they called Rose. "Rosemarie Hathaway." Rose went up to the stage and waited patiently. "You are paired with Wade Yarrow."

Wait, what? No, I had to guard her. I stood up. "What?" I had to guard Rose, and these field experiences often reflected on who you got assigned to after graduation. This could mean that I wouldn't be paired with Rose. "What?" I repeated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! Thanks for all of the reviews, keep them coming! As for those of you who want certain matchups, you'll have to wait, but quite a few of them will be coming!**

**Kirova: dimitrisgirl18 does not own Vampire-**

**Lissa: Oh no, Kirova. My turn. Dimitri (evil glare) prevented me from doing this last time.**

**Dimitri: OH, blame it on me.**

**Kirova: When did you get here?**

**(Dimitri and Lissa confused)**

**Kirova: dimitrisgirl18 does not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Only the plot and Wade Yarrow.**

**L&D: HEY!**

LPOV

I ran up to the podium and took the papers out of Kirova's hand. Scanning the list, I found Rose's name and slid my finger across the page to her "guardian's" name. Letting out a sigh of relief, I pointed out Kirova's mistake to her. She had accidentally read the name underneath Rose's. It turns out that Wade was Christian Ozera's guard, and I, thank god, was Rose's.

Taking the package with all the necessary information on Rose, not that I needed it, I sat back down next to Eddie. He looked at me like I was a little crazy, but also admirably. I smiled at him and swiveled my gaze back to the podium, where Kirova was still reading off names. Oh well, at least I was missing class.

My thoughts drifted off, to how close we were to summer. Only 2 more months before we had the end of school, guardian assignment, and freedom. I didn't know who was going to guard Rose with me, but I hoped that it was Eddie or another one of the novices who had recently flocked to me. They all seemed to be nice, no fakers looking for a spotlight or people who looked like they might have connections with Strigoi. The only one who was a little questionable was Wade.

Wade was a little dark, and looked like he liked to see other people fight. However, he never wanted a piece of the fight himself, so I wasn't too worried. I made a mental note to keep tabs on him. I snapped back to reality when Kirova said "Alright students, here are the terms and arrangements of the field experience. You will be treated like real guardians, following your Moroi at all times, to classes, to feedings, and anywhere they go outside of school, including church or the dorms. You will get Saturdays off and this will last for one month. The school's guardians will be acting as Strigoi, and you must be ready for attacks at all times."

"How are we going to know if the guardians are acting as Strigoi or if they are just coming up to talk to us?" asked a novice from the other side of the room.

"Good question." said Kirova happily. Then, she got a more serious expression on her face. "You won't, but I'm sure you have all learned how to tell an attacking stance and conditions of the attacker." We all nodded. She went on to answer a few more questions and then started lecturing again on the importance of Moroi and how we must keep them safe at all costs. Once again, I zoned out, until she dismissed us. We'd blown 2 whole periods! That meant we had lunch.

Oh no. Wait, I didn't find out when we start. I ran over to Rose, and started looking around to see if anyone had noticed my mistake or if everyone was doing the same thing. "There you are, Lissa." Rose said. "I was looking for you. The field experience starts right away, you know. Wow, I can't believe our good luck that you-"

I pushed her behind me as one of the guardians I recognized stalked up. He obviously didn't expect me to notice so soon, and taking that to my advantage, I knocked him out and held the fake stake we had been given with the packets to the place where his heart would be. I wasted no time in checking for more. Sure enough, Dimitri was there, his back turned to me, creeping up on a frozen Rose.

For a second, I saw something more in both of their eyes, but it disappeared as I leapt on Dimitri's back, wrestling him to the ground and putting the stake to the area by his heart, too. He smiled up at me, and I felt a bit of admiration for him. He was kinda cute, and here I was on top of him-

Some watching Moroi and Dhampirs applauded me. I stood up and took a mock bow, before noticing something in the corner of my eye. "Eddie!" I said. "Behind you!"

I lunged first, and he followed as an unsuspecting Alberta fell to the ground and I pinned her while Eddie held his stake up. She smiled as well, and then the first guardian I had attacked announced it was over, and that we got a lot of credit for being ready that quickly. I stayed on my guard until we got to the cafeteria, which had been designated the "safe house" for the first two weeks of the assignment.

RPOV

Once we were in the cafeteria, I saw Lissa visibly relax. She had just taken on three guardians and survived without a scratch. I smiled at her. "You'll make a great guardian for whoever you get assigned to, Liss."

She looked outraged. "What are you talking about, Rose? You know that I just have to be assigned to you after graduation. The bond, and the fact that we're best friends and I know you better than anyone else!"

I gave her a quick shoulder squeeze as I turned down a corridor off of the cafeteria. "Where are we going?" Lissa continued.

"We're going to the feeders." I said. She nodded in understanding and put on her guardian mask until the feeding room. Only this room and the cafeteria were safe from random "Strigoi" attacks. I guess I would be nervous too if someone's life, however much the situation was fake, was in my hands.

After waiting in line and getting my fill, I headed back to the cafeteria with Lissa, who once again tensed up in the hallway. "Relax, Lissa." I told her. "This hallway is way too small for there to be any major attacks." She just jerked her head in acknowledgement, then scanned the perimeter again. How did she manage to look that casual yet always be ready? Who knows, but I was glad she did.

Walking into the cafeteria for the second time, we headed through the lunch line. Lissa filled up her plate with a hamburger, fries, a salad, and a cookie while I took only a granola bar. I usually didn't have an appetite after drinking. Looking around, Lissa chose a table for us. She liked for us to sit with the 'safe' people, and in that case it meant 'boring.' My cousin Natalie Dashkov and a few of her friends sat at our table.

Becoming her normal self, Lissa and I could now talk about what we thought of the school and cute boys and classes and teachers. "Have you seen Alberta?" she asked me.

"Alberta? Who's she? If she's a guardian, I'll probably only have heard of her by last name."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just don't like calling people 'Guardian Whatever' because it sounds way too formal. Could you ever see people calling me Guardian Dragomir?" Lissa said the last part with a totally fake British accent that made her sound like a stiff old lady. I couldn't help it. I burst out into giggles. Natalie and her friends looked down from the other end of the table and smiled at us like we were little kids, which made me laugh even harder and made Lissa start laughing too.

"Anyways," Lissa continued, "her last name is Petrov. She could kick some serious butt if she wanted to. In practice sessions, Mason challenged her before me and he lost. Badly."

"She sounds like a good guardian. Anyone else notable you feel like telling me about?" I asked. I knew that she needed some time to vent, and I mmhmmed and nodded and yeahed and reallyed in all the right places. Eventually, she asked me if there were any people I thought needed to be talked about and I mainly told her about the kids in my class.

Then I mentioned Christian. "Christian Ozera was kinda nice." I said nonchalantly, hoping she zoned out and/or would ignore it. BZZZZTTT. Wrong. She flew off the handle.

"Christian Ozera? The boy who set someone on FIRE?"

"He's nice though, and I found out that he only did this because he was annoying me."

She shook her head and mumbled something that sounded like 'sick love' then said, confused, "I thought he was in suspension?"

"He was, but they let him off for the next period after questioning him. We passed notes in the second period class." I said, half ashamed. "But he's nice, and funny, and kind of cute."

"OK, Rose, whatever you say." Lissa didn't sound very convinced, or happy, but she could tell (whether through the bond or by some natural instinct I didn't know) that I kind of liked him and didn't want to turn it into a sore subject. We continued to talk until Dimitri walked into the cafeteria.

All senior dhampirs including Lissa jumped up, almost in sync, and Dimitri shook his head. "I'm not acting as a Strigoi. Safe house, remember?" Everyone but Lissa sat down. She stayed standing, though looked a little more relaxed.

He walked over to our table and she addressed him. "What's up, Dimitri?"

"Lissa!" I reprimanded her. "He's Guardian Belikov." _At least, to his face._ I added in the bond. She smiled.

"Ladies, we have some bad news. There has been a breach of the perimeter."

**OOOHHH sorry to keep ya hanging but it was getting just a little long for my standards. Review please, it doesn't take long! Also, if you think the chapters should be longer let me know, I can do a little longer. There will be some romance soon, let me know who you want with who!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow thanks for all the reviews you guys! I'm soooo sorry for not updating, we were somewhere else and this story is on my computer and I couldn't update, again so sorry you deserve the right to be mad. A little romance in this chapter, as promised. Thanks again, and enjoy!**

**Christian: dimitrisgirl18 does not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Wow, that was easy, I thought someone was going to-**

**Lissa: CHRISTIAN! HOW DARE YOU!**

**Christian: Uh-oh. (runs)**

RPOV

Oh no. They were coming for me, they've found me again. No. No. I buried my face in Lissa's arm, letting out a muffled sob. How? Everyone seemed so nice. Maybe it was another jealous Moroi. But no, they would be dead by now if they had contact with a Strigoi. A novice or a guardian? No, not them either. A human. It has to be. Before I could speak my accusation, Dimitri smothered it.

"The Strigoi is dead now, but it said it was working with no one, just a Strigoi trying to find a stray Moroi. He was able to get through the wards because they just expired, and were supposed to be replaced today. A few guardians are on it now." His speech ended with a consoling look and a promise. "They will never get to you, Princess. I promise." Then he walked away.

I breathed out a sigh of relief; I hadn't noticed that I'd been holding my breath. In front of me, Lissa did too. She sat back down and put her arms around my shoulders, giving me a squeeze. Apparently, she was just as worried as I was, possibly more. Then again, she had my life in her hands. The field experience could have turned deadly real in just a moment. Hugging her back, I let out a small laugh. She looked at me like I was crazy.

Then again, maybe I was. "Your burger's cold." I said, still giggling, and she smiled, picking it up anyway.

"Oh, well. I'm starving. Worry can do that to you, you know." She said matter-of-factly.

"Lissa, I swear, you worry so much you're going to get wrinkle lines one of these days." She just rolled her eyes and took a big bite of her burger. "Eww, Lissa!" I got ignored, except for a small smile. Then, who else would appear but Christian. I shrank back a little in my seat.

Lissa's face hardened as she swallowed her burger. Whoa, she was done? "What do you want, fire boy?"

"Just wanted to say hello to my damsel."

I smacked his arm. "I'm not your damsel." I said with a smile.

"Watch it, Rose. You pack a lot of punch for a Moroi." He smiled back.

"Lissa's got me trained." I rolled my eyes at this. (Lissa and I roll our eyes a lot. Bad habit) Ever since the first Strigoi attack, she wanted me to be ready for anything. Lissa was very superstitious. She always told me that one day, guardians might not be around to help me and wanted me to have some defense ready just in case. I ran laps, lifted some weights, and did a lot of conditioning.

He raised his eyebrows at this. "Really?" he asked Lissa. "Have you ever considered teaching her offensive Strigoi magic as well?"

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's special magic that can only be used by one element. That said, there's different magic for each element. I use fire, so I focus on making bright lights and using fire on certain parts of the body, like the head." I jumped. Something about that made me scared of him.

Lissa and Christian continued to talk about offensive and defensive measures, magic or otherwise. I zoned out for a while (another bad habit of ours) and slowly ate my yogurt. That is, until Christian asked a (very) touchy question. "What element have you specialized in, Rose?"

"Uh, I haven't…I mean I just don't know…what I'm trying to say is…"

"She hasn't specialized yet." Said Lissa flatly, in her end of subject tone. Christian shrugged. The lunch bell rung, signaling the end of the lunch period.

Christian stopped us from leaving. "Lissa, did you want to talk later?" he asked.

"Sure, where?" she said.

"Uh…how about the courtyard? Rose can come, obviously, and Wade is definitely coming with me. That is, if he doesn't want to get a bad grade." He said with a smirk. Ugh, I did NOT like this guy. How come Lissa suddenly softened? Oh, wait just a second here. They were flirting weren't they? Double ugh.

Lissa walked to our next class half in a daze, probably thinking of the meeting that night. Which didn't really help the events that happened next.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hi everyone! Sorry for not writing! Summer has been really hectic, so I might not write for a while. Especially since I'm going on vacation this week for two weeks! Not to worry, I'll have my laptop, but no updates promised. Action buildup sorta this chapter, buildup next chapter…Two more chapters to action! I don't own VA.**

OK, well, maybe it didn't really matter. Dimitri walked up, and Lissa didn't really register that he was supposed to be a Strigoi. "Hey, Dimitri. You gonna take me away or something?"

He smiled. "No, I just have to follow you around with Vasilisa now. You know, because of the…" he trailed off there.

I nodded. "It's alright. I just can't believe that Lissa didn't notice you yet." Wow, she must really be crushin'. I smiled and poked her. She jumped and immediately noticed Dimitri. She punched him in the face, taking him off guard. Pulling out her stake, she and Dimitri circled slowly until she made a fake jab and jumped on him, putting out her stake to his heart.

Standing up, she apologized to me. "Oh my god Rose I'm so sorry I didn't mean to I was just thinking about" I cut her off.

"Chill, Lissa. I don't think anyone saw. We're in a really deserted corridor. Besides, Dimitri's here to help you, you know, guard me because of the…"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry Dimitri." Lissa helped him stand up.

"That's okay." He said. "You were doing what you were supposed to do." Dimitri was shaking his head, and gently touched his eye, which was starting to swell and become pink.

"Oh my god! Lissa, you gave him a black eye!" As I looked at him, I felt the overwhelming desire to do something for him. I wanted to make the world right and happy. Feeling music and joy inside of me, I reached out, laying my hand over his eye. All of these feelings were sucked out of me and he absorbed them, his eye returning to normal.

Stepping back slightly, he put his hand to his eye again. "Rose…" he said, trailing off. "How? How did you do that?"

I didn't know. It just came naturally to me. I loved all life and hated seeing people hurt. "I…I don't know." Scared. Mad. Reclusive. I wanted to become all those things. On top of the overflowing trash can in the hall, I picked up a plastic knife. Shaking, I brought it towards me.

Lissa stopped me before Dimitri had time to register my quick movements. She snatched the knife away and buried it in the trash can. Sensing my intentions, she said "Dimitri, stop her!" I struggled to get out of his quick, strong hold.

His face was creased with worry. "Vasilisa, go find Guardian Petrov, Headmistress Kirova and Ms. Carmack. Now!" With a last glance at her, making sure she went, he wrapped his arms around me. "Roza," he whispered.

I cried. I sank down to the floor and cried. With my back against the wall, I wondered what was wrong with me. Just a minute ago, I was walking with Lissa to my next class, happy and bubbling with joy. Now I try to cut myself and I'm crying in front of a hot guardian. Wait, hot guardian? Bad Rose. He's like, 21. I'm only 17.

Lissa came rushing down the hallway again, with all three figures of authority in tow. She sat down next to me, rocking me slowly. "Shh, Rose, it'll be alright." This was the second time today that I'd broken down. The second time that Lissa had been there for me. I realized what a good friend I had.

"Thank you, Lissa. For everything." She nodded, understanding, and put her arms around me.

"You're welcome, Rose. For everything." I smiled. Looking up, I realized Dimitri, Ms. Carmack, Alberta and Kirova had been discussing what happened.

Ms. Carmack frowned. "There's only one semi-plausible explanation…"

"That is?" asked Kirova.

"In the ancient stories about St. Vladimir, they said he healed people. He also kept a very low control over all four elements. Is it possible that she has specialized in healing?"

"There is one other…" said Alberta. "I have heard of one other Moroi who has not specialized. There are a few, classified, reports of miraculous healings when he is around. His name is Adrian Ivashkov."

"Adrian Ivashkov…the great-nephew of Queen Tatiana?" asked Dimitri.

"Yes, the very same."

"Does she know?" I spoke up. They all turned their heads to me, momentarily having forgotten I was in the room, or should I say, hallway.

"Know what?" asked Kirova.

"Does she know that Adrian hasn't specialized? I mean, she must, otherwise the news would be all around. But then she must know what it is."

They looked at one another uncomfortably. "Uh…Queen Tatiana…is not as informed as she would like to be on the subject of this 'healing.'" Alberta said.

"Oh."

"However, as Headmistress, I will make it my duty to invite Adrian Ivashkov to stay here as a guest. Perhaps he knows enough to help you manage with this. And to answer all of our questions." determined Kirova.

"Why can't he just transfer schools?" asked Lissa.

"Because Lord Ivashkov is not high-school age. He is 19 years old." Said Dimitri, watching me carefully with a look in his eyes that I couldn't quite determine. Maybe, jealousy?


	6. Chapter 6

LPOV

"Because Lord Ivashkov is not high-school age. He is 19 years old." said Dimitri, staring at Rose. There was a look in his eyes, one that I was not sure about. It could have been jealousy, but…? I put it out of my mind. Whatever _that_ meant wasn't my concern. I was only concerned about her safety right now.

Reading the bond, I realized that Rose was happy that it was someone her own age, not a boring, stuffy adult or someone who was younger and didn't know much. I was glad for her too, maybe she could learn more about this healing thing and be safer. My whole life, I had been taught _They Come First._ Now it really mattered, but I couldn't protect her from what was threatening her life.

Rose got dismissed from classes for the rest of the day, and therefore, I also got a free pass. Kirova herself had told me that there would be no attacks on Rose for the rest of today, and had given me reassurance that I could go wherever and do what I liked, but Rose needed me too much. I went back to her single dorm with her, and sat on the floor while she lay on her bed, neither of us talking.

I finally broke the ice. "Rose, I don't know why this is happening, but the only thing I need to know right now is are you okay?"

She nodded weakly. "I think so. Having specialized in this element of 'healing' just confuses me. I can't wait until Adrian gets here."

"Well, knowing Kirova and her connections, he'll be here by tomorrow morning. I don't think you have much to worry about, though. Just don't use your powers, and you won't have any side effects."

There was silence for a while, before Rose answered me. "I don't know if I could…I mean I'd try but, when I saw his black eye, I don't think anything could have stopped me from healing it. I got this…wave of sorrow and then happiness as I envisioned him after I healed him. When I actually healed him though, it was much different. There was so much joy, pure energy, flowing out of me, and afterwards I felt so exhausted."

"Rose…" I started.

"I know, Lissa. Don't use this new element, be safe, we all need you."

"I'm not that mean." I said, pretending to be hurt. Rose fell for it.

"Oh my god, Liss, you know I didn't mean it…" she was leaning over me, trying to 'comfort' me, so I took my opportunity. I lunged at her and tickled her. She laughed harder than she had in a long time.

"Gotcha Rose!" I said triumphantly.

"Not fair!" she said. "You have better reflexes." I just shrugged. I couldn't argue with that. After that, we just really talked. About guys, about classes so far, about people we've met. Just like lunch. Rose and I do that sometimes, to catch up with what's going on in our lives. Moroi and Dhampir worlds are so different, that we need to remind each other sometimes of the fact that there are different worlds within the same world. If that makes sense. When Rose says that all the time, I don't get it either.

Before we knew it, it was late enough to go out to the courtyard. Or early, depending on where you live. Our time differences kind of remind me of the Jimmy Buffet song, 'It's 5 o'clock Somewhere'. It was 10 a.m. here, and time to meet Christian and Wade. Christian was going to show Rose a little offensive magic, and maybe Wade and I could spar. I had to admit though, I did have a crush on Christian. He was cute, and funny, and seemed to genuinely care about other people's needs.

I spied on Rose and Christian a little earlier, during the assembly. I racked her thoughts, and saw the notes they passed. He was an Ozera, and the son of two Strigoi. Well, Moroi turned Strigoi. No one knows why, and Christian is still scarred by the experience. He seemed like a nice guy, and maybe tonight I'd get to know him better.

So, as I walked Rose out to the courtyard, I couldn't help looking around to see if Christian and Wade were on their way too. Rose noticed, and, of course, started teasing me. "Ooh, Lissa's looking for her cruusshh."

"Nuh-uh." I said. I didn't want Rose to know I liked him. Thank goodness the bond only went one way.

We got to the courtyard, and I sat down on a bench, watching Rose absentmindedly play with her nails until Christian and Wade walked into the courtyard. There were a few other people there, but it's not like we were doing anything illegal. At least, not at _this_ school.

"Hey Lissa. Hey Rose." Said Christian.

"Sup." Said Wade. Wow, two completely different people, yet they got along so well. Then I noticed Christian said hi to me first. Aww! Maybe he likes me too!

"Hi Christian. Hey Wade." I said. "We've only got 2 hours before we have to be in our dorms, you know, so whatever magic stuff you have to do, get on it." I didn't want to get caught out of our dorms and get in trouble, even though we weren't really doing anything wrong.

Christian shrugged. "Ok. Let's get started. Here's some of the basics…"

I turned around to face Wade. "We've got two hours and a wide open courtyard. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"You're on." He said with a grin.

"You asked for it." I said, and he got a confused look on his face.

"Wha-" He was cut off by my swift punch to the stomach and knee where the sun don't shine. "Ok," he groaned. "Now you're really on." And the battle began.

I was in my element.

RPOV

Lissa took control. "We've only got 2 hours before we have to be in our dorms, you know, so whatever magic stuff you have to do, get on it."

Christian shrugged nonchalantly. "Ok. Let's get started. Here's some of the basics you'll need to know about offensive magic. First, you have to be really in tune with your element. Next, don't think too hard about it. Last, try not to hit me with anything. That bush is just asking for it over there."

I laughed. "You sure Sparky? That would be kind of funny." He didn't seem pleased with my new nickname for him.

"Yes. Now, moving on. Can you use any of the basic elements?" he asked, obviously trying to avoid any more teasing from the peanut gallery.

"I don't know, honestly. But I'll try. Umm…how about Fire first, you know, because it's your element?" He nodded. I concentrated on not concentrating, willing fire to come up from my hand. I squeezed my eyes shut with the effort, and opened them when Christian applauded.

"Good job, Hathaway. Fire comes naturally to you." I hadn't realized that there was a thin line of fire extending from my hand and twining around my arm. Shaking my head, and clearing my thoughts of fire, it went away.

"Water next, I guess." Christian just nodded again. Out of his hand, a small burst of flame appeared.

"Try to put it out." He said.

"I thought I wasn't allowed to hit you. Wait, why am I saying anything? Of course I will. Oh, this is gonna be good." He glared. I willed the water to flow, and a strong jet of water put out the fire, dousing Christian, and earning me another glare.

"Wow." said Christian. "I can't believe you just did that. Considering that there were no sources of water or water users around. I guess you're a natural at Water, too."

I preformed similar tests with Earth and Air, and found I could use them just as well as Fire and Water.

I practiced some Fire using next. Christian taught me how to shoot a flame high into the sky and aim at certain points. Surprisingly, it was a lot harder then I thought it would be. Just like he said, you have to concentrate without thinking about it. It just sounded like a bunch of stuff I could do while meditating.

But, time flies when you play with fire, and Lissa was insisting that we had to go back. While I attempted to repair the (very) noticeable hole I made in the ground using Earth, Lissa talked to Christian, and I could hear their conversation.

"Christian, umm…I just wanted to let you know, I like you. And I was wondering…" Lissa said, before Christian finished her sentence.

"I like you too, Lissa." He replied, and kissed her. One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, done. I smiled, and stood up, breaking up the awkward moment between them.

"Ok, then. See you, Wade. Bye Sparky. Don't kill too many bushes on your way back in." I said.

"I'll try not to." He laughed. Lissa looked at me, confused. I shook my head in an 'I'll tell you later' gesture. Lissa waved goodbye, and we walked in.

Kirova rounded the corner and stopped us before we could get much further. "Ms. Hathaway? Lord Ivashkov is here. He is staying in Guest Housing, Complex Three, and he wants to see you."

"Alright." I said. "Thank you, Headmistress. I'm on my way over." Looking at Lissa, I smiled and started walking in a different direction. "I'm so excited. Another healer. What do you think he knows? What do you think he'll be like?"

"I don't know, Rose!" Lissa said. "I'm not a Moroi, I'm not a freaky healer," I smiled at that one, "and I don't even know this dude! What do you think I am, a stalker?"

"No, just a ninja."

…

"Seriously?"

"No. But when you graduate you will be!" I said, laughing. We stepped inside the guest housing building. "Kirova said Complex Three, right?"

"Yup. To the elevator!" she said, chopping the air in an imitation of a ninja. She flipped into the elevator and pressed the button that said three, all while sticking a perfect landing.

"Did I miss, like, ten years of your life while you took ninja class?" I asked, in awe.

"Nope. However, you were here for 11 of them while I took guardian classes." She said, smiling.

Lissa and I were 16, and had been in school together since we were five. Lissa doesn't see her mom a lot, because she just dropped her off at the nearest academy at the same time I started going to the same academy, Heatherfield. She doesn't know anything about her dad, but her mom sends Christmas and birthday cards to both of us. My family kind of 'adopted' Lissa after we became best friends, and I will always think of her as my sister. I know she thinks of me as her sister, too.

Unfortunately, St. Vladimir's does not have snazzy elevator music for our guests, so the ride passed in silence. When it dinged, signaling we were here, I asked Lissa if she was going to flip out of the elevator again, because if she was, I would stand back. She just smiled and said "One show per day, Rose."

There were only two doors on the whole floor, because each person that stayed here got a side of the hallway. One had a 'Vacant' sign on it, so I knew which one to _not_ knock on.

I knocked in the standard _bum bum bum bum bum _pause _bum bum._ He answered almost immediately. "You must be Rose? And you are Lissa?" he asked. I faltered in answering him. It couldn't be. No, it was impossible. He was Adrian Ivashkov, not some silly… I refused to believe it. But I had to accept it. Midnight black hair, tall, slim figure, even for a Moroi… He even healed me when I cut myself on an imaginary tree…

This man had walked in my dreams.

But he couldn't be real, could he?

**Hi! Sorry I haven't written in so long. You all know how summer can be. I tried to make it a little longer than usual. Another chapter will be up before school starts, which is August 24****th**** for me. Review and tell me how you liked it! Also, would you guys mind helping me with the story? You can answer these questions in your review (please):**

**1. CONTEST! I want to introduce a new character to the story that will twist the plot and have you biting your nails. Girl or boy? Good or evil? Dhampir or Moroi? What are they like? What is their background? Winner gets their character in the story, their username and thanks on my profile, bragging rights and a plate of virtual cookies! Do your best!**

**2. Rose's dream will be in the next chapter as a flashback. What should it be like?**

**3. Lissa will be with Christian, and Rose will be with…I don't know! Are you Team Dimitri or Adrian? Let me know about your ideas for her future with either guy, or maybe she'll fall for them both?**

**4. Do you like this story? If you don't, no major flames please, but a simple 'no' and constructive criticism is welcomed.**

**I will try to respond to all reviews from now on. Thanks for reading and putting up with my first attempt at fanfiction! Love you all! (In a non-weird way. I'm not a stalker. However, I might be a ninja… ****)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So sorry I haven't written! I feel so bad, but I will try to update more frequently, since I think that I haven't even stayed true to my updating calendar. :(**

**A huuuuggggeee thank you to my new beta, vahinian, who also made up the new character and won the contest! Here's your plate of virtual chocolate-chip cookies! Also, a shout-out to T. RxD. for writing an awesome story you all should check out- Our Daughter Our Little Angel.**

**Please review, I try to respond to every one of them, and they also mega motivate me to update. You all rock, and thanks for sticking with me.**

Third person POV

*flashback*

"Goodnight, mommy…" the little girl said sleepily as her mother gently tucked her in.

"Goodnight, my sweet Rose." Her mother said, smiling. Rose drifted off to sleep quietly. Janine left the room and turned off the lights, completely unaware that her daughter would have an experience unlike any other that night.

*in the dream*

"Hi!" said a gangly looking boy. "My name's Adrian. I'm learning how to dream walk from my momma! I guess I got the wrong dream." He blushed.

Rose frowned. "Dream walking? What's that?"

"Oh. It's something that people like my family can do. We make people better and some of us can walk in other people's dreams!" said Adrian excitedly.

"Cool!" Rose said. "I'm Rosie. This is awesome!" she said, looking around at the beautiful beach they were on.

Adrian smiled and snapped his fingers. "Isn't this cool? I can change anything I want!" There was suddenly a forest surrounding them. Rose reached out a hand to touch a tree. Instead of touching it, the tree cut her finger.

"Here, let me fix that for you." Adrian walked over and put his hand on hers. She felt warmth and heard soft music notes. Her cut was gone.

"Wow!" Rose said in wonder.

"Well, see ya later, Rosie. My momma's probably wondering where I am. Sweet dreams!" he said, and disappeared. After that, Rose had normal dreams for the rest of the night.

*end of dream and flashback*

Rose would never have another dream like that again, nor would she see or remember Adrian until they met at St. Vladimir's.

APOV (Adrian, yay!)

I knew the girl on the right from somewhere, yet I couldn't quite pinpoint where I knew her from. She looked familiar, but who knows, she could just be some random girl. As soon as I answered the door, she looked at me in disbelief. Of what…?

"You must be Rose?" I asked. "And you are Lissa?" Rose. The name rolled off my tongue easily and sweetly. She was pretty too. As I was thinking these thoughts, I noticed she had paused in answering, still looking at me funny. The girl on the left answered.

"Yes, I'm Vasilisa Dragomir, nickname Lissa. This is my best friend, Rose Hathaway. Nice to meet you." Vasilisa Dragomir? _The_ Vasilisa Dragomir? I voiced my thoughts, and she smiled. "Yes, that's me."

I saw she nudged the other girl, who must be Rose. The name…so familiar… "Oh!" she said, startled, as if breaking out of a shell of her innermost thoughts. "Sorry. Hi I'm Rose Hathaway." Shaking her hand, I had a V8 moment, and hit myself on the head.

"Coulda had a V8." I murmured.

"What?" the girls said in unison.

"You're Rose Hathaway, last of the Hathaways, next in line to become queen."

"Yup." Rose said nonchalantly. "That's me. Now, are we allowed to come in, or is now not a good time. I mean you just got here and everything we wouldn't want you to feel rushed, or pressured, or, I mean, you're a guest, we-"

I cut her off from her rambling just as her friend nudged her again. "No, no, it's fine. My apartment here will be a little messy though, what with suitcases all over."

Vasilisa shrugged. "We can come back later. It's alright. We'll let you get a good night's sleep and get over your jet lag. Then maybe we'll see you tomorrow. That is, if Kirova will let us get out of class."

"Alright then, Adrian." said Rose, "See you tomorrow."

"Bye!" I said, watching them go, Rose's shoulder bone length dirty blonde beautiful hair flowing out behind her. Wow. I sighed. Beautiful. And the sound of her voice. I could go on all day about just her voice. But wait! I was infatuated with a girl I've just met. How could I?

Then again, it's not like it hasn't happened before. Kaitlyn…

LPOV

As soon as we got in the elevator, I knew Rose was going to say 'Why did you make us leave? He's the only chance I've got to find out what's happening to me!' And she did.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I just want you to get a good night's sleep, and, well, there was something about the way he was looking at you. It was…serious. And almost like infatuation." I said sheepishly.

"Infatuation?" she said, scoffing. "I doubt it. He looks like the kind of guy who says to himself, 'She's hot. I'm hot. She'll date me. I'll dump her in a month.'"

"I don't know." She eyed me as I speculated. "It was kind of like how Dimitri looked at you."

Her eyes bugged out. "LIKE WHO?" she said, practically shouting as I noticed the elevator had come to a stop and the doors were open. A startled-looking Moroi stood there.

"Sorry." I said, rushing Rose out of the elevator and the lady in. "Just talking about some juicy gossip. You know, we're girls and all!" The pretty Moroi looked confused but seemed to let it go as the doors closed again.

Rose looked both ways once we were outside of the building, and then yell-whispered at me. "Like who, exactly did you just say?" she asked again.

I looked down. "Dimitri."

"As in, Guardian Belikov, that Dimitri?"

"Well, I don't know, how many other Dimitri's do you happen to know? Especially ones that have gaga eyes for you." I said, completely serious.

Rose just continued walking to her room. Not once on the whole way there did Rose say a single word to me. I could tell through the bond that her feelings were a mixture of worry, embarrassment, and fury.

When she shut the door, she turned to face me. "Yes, I do have feelings for Guardian Belikov, but I would prefer if you would keep that knowledge to yourself instead of shouting it all over campus."

"Rose, I didn't-"

"I don't" She said stopping me. "want to hear about what you think you know about my feelings. You may think you can get inside my head any time you want but you won't someday. One of these times, when you want to get into my thoughts and shout them out loud for the world to hear I will be able to block you out and you can just leave me alone!"

"Rose, I'll say it again; or at least try to. I didn't know you had feelings for him. All I knew is that there's something about the way he looked at you that was so real and intense I had to look away. That's a pretty powerful feeling, whether it is love or something else. I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to hurt you, and you know that."

She took a deep breath. "Okay." she said, mostly to herself. "No, I'm sorry for losing control and getting mad at you." Now she was talking to me. "I just had a major mood swing…"

Shaking it off, I suggested we go to sleep. Rose nodded. "Yeah. That would be good. They set up a bed for you in here and moved some of your stuff in here."

Awesome. I climbed into bed, but not before taking a quick shower to wash off all the day's worries. I couldn't believe that it was only our first day here…


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow. It's been two and a half months since I've updated. I can't believe it! For those of you who are actually still reading, I promise to update more! Also, check out my new story-The 28****th**** Hunger Games. Thanks!**

Rose POV-Tuesday

I woke up to Lissa softly shaking my arm. "Morning, Rose." she said, a smile on her face. I immediately knew I'd overslept. Sitting up quickly, I ran my fingers through my hair, fingering out any tangles.

"What time is it, Liss?" I asked sleepily. I must have missed first and second period, at least. On a completely unrelated matter, Dimitri would be with us all day today. Dimitri…

"Oh, around nine-thirty." she said casually. Seeing my look of shock, she laughed. "Kirova gave us the rest of the week off. She said it was for 'personal matters' as well as getting used to campus here."

Nodding, I let myself fall back onto my pillow. "Rose, don't go back to sleep."

"No, Liss, I'm tired." I felt like a five-year-old who doesn't want to go to preschool, and thinks telling his mom he's tired will get him out of it.

"Come _on_ Rose, you gotta get up." Lissa said impatiently.

"Pleaaaaaase Lissa, I'm so _tiiired._" I closed my eyes and rolled over onto my stomach to make a point. I wished she would just go and let me sleep.

"Don't make me drag you out of bed, Rose. You know I'll do it." I sighed. She would. "Besides, you have to go see Adrian today, did you forget?"

That perked me up. Adrian, and my awesome magical abilities. Sitting up again, and not feeling like moving, I flicked my hand and tried to channel air to pull the covers off me. When I was successful, I thought about what else I could do. Having a crazy idea, I grinned. Lissa looked at me like I was crazy.

Before she could ask, I flicked my hand again, and I rose into the air. Folding my legs criss-cross-applesause, I noticed Lissa now truly looking at me like I needed to be admitted to a mental hospital. Laughing, I floated over to the bathroom, and set myself down in front of the sink. Now, I willed my toothbrush to have toothpaste on it, and to brush my teeth.

Sure enough, the toothpaste tube opened and squeezed toothpaste on my toothbrush, which then began brushing my teeth with my very small hand movements. After getting ready, and floating back to Lissa, who was still very much amazed but now watching Spongebob, it was a suitable hour to visit Adrian.

"Let's go, Lissa. I'm sure Adrian will let you watch Spongebob." I said, giggling.

"How do you know?" she asked, teasing me.

"I don't. I just feel like he will."

Lissa, shrugging, led the way outside and to the guest building. Minus the ninja moves, everything was déjà vu. Adrian answered the door quickly. "Ah!" he said. "What a pleasant visit, though not really a surprise."

Smiling, I walked in, Lissa following hesitantly behind me. "Welcome, Rose. And you too, Lissa. Sorry that I haven't quite unpacked still. Kirova told me to pack for a long time. So, I did."

I chuckled. His voice definitely did sound familiar. I had no choice but to believe it was the Adrian from my dreams. "That's quite alright." I said, fully meaning it. "Can we sit somewhere? I have a feeling that a very long discussion will be coming."

He nodded. "Sure. You guys have really big apartments here. There's a whole living room area."

He led us into the living room, and immediately, Lissa went for the remote. "Do you mind if I turn on Spongebob?" she asked, blushing. Woah. She was serious.

Adrian smiled. "Of course you can! Spongebob rocks!" Wow. They were both Spongebob addicts. Though, I do have to admit, I enjoy a little Spongebob sometimes, too.

The TV flickered to life, and Lissa punched in the channel number. Patrick Star and Plankton appeared. Adrian laughed loudly at whatever they were saying. I rolled my eyes as my stomach growled loudly. I looked down at it in surprise. "Oh, crap, Rose! I forgot! Breakfast." Lissa said, hitting her forehead.

"That's okay. You can have breakfast here. Come to think of it, I'm hungry, too. Pancakes sound good?" asked Adrian.

"When don't pancakes sound good?" I answered him.

Shrugging, Adrian continued on to the kitchen. Soon, Lissa and I could hear the sound of pancakes sizzling on the grill and the stove beeped. Adrian walked out with three plates of pancakes, bacon, and eggs for each of us.

"Oh my gosh! That looks so good." I said, my stomach makings its hunger known once again. Laughing, we all dug in. The time passed quickly, thanks to good old Spongebob. When we finished, Lissa and I insisted on doing the dishes.

Finally, it was time to address the real reason we came. "So, Adrian…I don't know how to start." Then it hit me. "I think I know you from my dreams!" I blurted out.

Lissa snickered. "You've been dreaming about him? Shut up, Rose! No way!" I sighed, but Adrian's face changed only slightly, from content to resignation.

"Okay, fine. You're right. I didn't want to bring it up in case you didn't remember, but…I guess it's safe to tell you. Or, in this case, I think I'll just show you. Relax, this won't hurt." I flinched as he put his hand on my cheek. Wow, that felt kind of good.

But I didn't have much time to think about that particularly pleasant fact, because I was no longer in the room. Instead, I was on a beach. Suddenly, the scene morphed to a forest. And I saw myself with Adrian. But they were younger, much younger versions of us. I looked to be about five, and so did he. That wasn't disturbing. What was disturbing was the fact that I remembered this whole conversation.

"Well, see ya later, Rosie. My momma's probably wondering where I am. Sweet dreams!" As soon as Adrian disappeared, the dream became blurry, and I faded out into the real world.

Lissa looked shocked. I wondered why for a moment, but then realized she must have been feeling my distressed emotions. _You okay?_ I asked her through the bond.

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Rose, I, I just saw…what was in your head. Everything. How is that possible?"

I looked to Adrian. "It's probably just a strengthening of the bond." he said reassuringly.

"So, Adrian," I began. "Can you tell me more about this healing element?"

"Sure. It's going to be a bit long, but here goes!" I settled in for a long talk.

"Wait!" cried Lissa.

"What?" Adrian and I asked at the same time. I blushed.

"I want to go get some hot chocolate if this is gonna be a while." I laughed.

"Alright, Liss. I guess since it's December, you're allowed." She pumped her fist in the air, and seconds later I heard the microwave going. She came back in and plopped on the couch, almost spilling her mug. "Watch it, Lissa!" I said.

"Sorry." Her face looked hilarious. I rolled my eyes and motioned for Adrian to continue. I rolled my shoulders and took up a comfortable position.

"The element of-"

"Wait!" shouted Lissa.

"What?" I said, annoyed.

She continued in a small voice, "Do you have any mini marshmallows?" She ducked her head.

Adrian cracked up. "Yeah, they're in the left cupboard. Did you know this place came stocked?"

"Sweet!" she said. Within a minute, she was back out, almost spilling her mug. I sent her a message through the bond. _Lissa…_ "Sorry!" she said, holding up the hand that wasn't clutching her mug.

"Go on, Adrian." I got comfortable, yet again.

"As I was saying, the element of-"

"WAIT!" shouted Lissa, again.

"WHAT?" I asked, full blown angry.

"Haha, nothing, keep going." she said, giggling. Really? I mouthed to her.

"The element of healing is quite a special element. It comes from the spirit that all of us have within us. I call it spirit. It traces back to a very long time ago, when miracles of healing were reported. Actually, St. Vladimir was one of those spirit…wielders. With our spirit, we can do all kinds of things. Normally, spirit wielders can see auras and heal. Some spirit wielders can dream walk. Only a few in the past can see and change bonds between people, from a girl and her dog to a husband and wife. I'm sure there are other things, too, but that's as far as I've gotten in my research. Also, many spirit wielders have bond mates. An example is you and Lissa. A bond mate is someone that has seen and touched death, but was saved by a spirit wielder. That bond mate, depending on the intensity of the relationship, can see some of your thoughts, or like Lissa just did, see everything inside your head. One case has been reported where the bond mate and the spirit wielder can hold silent conversations. Spirit is really cool, I can't wait to teach you all these things."

"If you're a spirit…wielder, as you call it, which other elements do you control?" I asked, eager to know more about my situation.

"What do you mean?" asked Adrian. "Spirit is an element. Do you mean you can control another element?"

"No. Not just one element, but I can control all of the other four. I thought that was normal."

"It's not. Rose, I think I know about your case. You are a Wielder of the Sky."


End file.
